Melbourne Metrics's SWANS/ABLES team wins Engagement Australia 2023 Excellence Award

Melbourne Metrics's Students with Additional Needs (SWANs)/Abilities Based Learning and Education Support (ABLES) team, led by Jayne Johnston and Dr Toshiko Kamei, has won the Engagement Australia 2023 Excellence Awards, for its outstanding Engagement for Research Impact.

The Engagement Australia 2023 Excellence Awards identify and celebrate the most exciting engagement activities undertaken by universities that demonstrate far-reaching impact and innovation in the Australian and New Zealand economies and communities.

Among these commendable endeavors is SWANs/ABLES, an enduring collaborative research partnership between the University of Melbourne and the Victorian Department of Education. Commencing in 2007 with the original team members showcased in the accompanying photo, this research program has led to the creation and successful implementation of nine assessment instruments.

These instruments provide educators with the tools they need to accurately gauge the learning progress of students with additional needs. They also empower teachers to use data-driven insights to tailor their teaching and learning programs, catering to the unique requirements of each student. These groundbreaking instruments have found widespread use across Australia, with over 1.2 million assessments conducted to date, enabling students with additional needs to realise their full educational potential.